Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater

Small flycatcher found in foothill and subtropical forest from around 1500-2300m. Grizzled face pattern with bold black and white crescent on cheek like some other bristle-tyrants and tyrannulets. Look for Variegated’s bold cinnamon wingbars and bicolored bill. Sexes alike. Found singly or in pairs, usually in lower to middle levels of forest, often following a mixed species flock. Listen for high twittering series of “tsit” notes, sometimes with a longer “tsee!” at the end.

This species occurs from western Venezuela to extreme northern Peru. It is fairly common in high elevation grasslands or open shrubby areas with patches of bare ground. Look for a medium-sized, chunky brown bird with a bold whitish eyebrow and throat. In flight, shows an obvious buffy wing stripe. Singles or pairs forage in the open and are often quite approachable. Compare with Stout-billed Cinclodes, which as you may have deduced from the name has a notably stouter (and more curved) bill. Chestnut-winged was formerly a member of the Bar-winged Cinclodes complex, which has since been split into three species.

A long-tailed, slim, distinctive warbler of dry country. Gray-brown on the upperparts and whitish below, with white marks on the wing and outer tail. The tail is frequently cocked up and wagged from side to side. Found in dry thorn savanna and thornscrub, usually in pairs. Similar in shape to other prinias, but easily separated by the red forehead. Could be mistaken for some cisticolas, but shows white in the wing, and distinctive tail-wagging behavior. Song consists of long series of a musical or scolding note, sometimes punctuated by short series of a different kind of note; can be similar to Pale Prinia’s song, but generally much more varied.